This proposal addresses the thesis that chronic inflammatory diseases - common in an ageing population - accelerates the development of atherosclerosis. During the acute phase response, serum amyloid A protein (A-5A-A>, an apolipoprotein, increases 1,000 fold and becomes a major component of high density lipoprotein (HDL). In spite of intense modern interest in the HDL particle, the teleological role of this alteration of HDL apolipoprotein composition during inflammation is unknown. The investigators propose that A-SAA mediate the remodelling of HDL to accommodate a modified physiological requirement for this particle during